One joy of putting together each edition of All About Magazine is the interesting folk we get to feature. For instance, Hilary Stevenson.
Hilary is an accomplished triathlete with five gold medals in her category at the European Championships. She did rather well in last September’s World Championships too, competing in Edmonton, Canada.
“I came third, earning a bronze medal, beaten only by two Americans,” says Hilary. “Those damn Yanks,” she jokes. Hilary’s achievements in athletics are even more impressive because she is a leading light for the sport, aged 71. “I have earned an automatic place in Lisbon for next year’s Europeans and hope to make it six victories in a row,” Hilary adds. She is, however, more than aware of the competition at that level. “Some ladies have come up to my age group, so it could be a bit more difficult this time.”
The triathlon which encompasses a 1.5km swim, 40k bike ride and 10km run is no mean feat. The spritely grandmother previously ran marathons but took her first steps in triathlon after a suggestion from her dentist, John Coombes, a keen participant himself.
She entered the 2002 London Triathlon, winning her age group, and the rest, as they say, is history. A niggling hip injury has seen Mrs Stevenson withdraw from this year’s Worlds in Chicago, but she has no plans to throw in the towel just yet. “I want to get better from the injury for next year and hopefully bring home more gold,” she adds.
